Work Text:
Throughout Bubu Pharmacy, the sound of Baizhu's footsteps echoed as he paced anxiously. Even though the air was filled with the soothing aroma of incense, his troubled thoughts were not much eased.
Changsheng, perched on the counter, watched him with her tail swinging back and forth. There was no point in telling him to stop pacing, Baizhu needed to work through his worry before her words could settle in.
The source of his worries itself is none other than Qiqi. She had left in the early morning to gather herbs—something she had done countless times before. Now, however, it was well past the hour she had promised to be back.
After a brief pause, Baizhu resumed his pacing and muttered to himself, "She's never late."
“Baizhu,” Changsheng’s voice interrupted his spiral of worry, “you’re going to wear yourself out at this rate.”
Baizhu frowned, running a hand through his hair. “This isn’t like her, Changsheng. Qiqi always knows when it's her time to go home. I already wrote it in her notebook to never come home late even though she didn't get the herb yet. What if something happened to her?”
Changsheng let out a soft sigh, coiling herself more comfortably on the counter. “Qiqi’s been gathering herbs for years. She knows what she’s doing.”
Baizhu stopped mid-step, his hands clenching at his sides. “What if she got lost? Or hurt? Or—”
“Or what?” Changsheng interrupted, stared at him. “Baizhu, she’s a zombie, she’s stronger than a normal person. You’re acting like she’s some fragile porcelain doll.”
Baizhu stopped and took a deep breath, pressing his fingers against his temples. “But she’s… Qiqi.”
Ah, there it was. That soft spot he had for the little zombie girl. Seeing how much he cared for her was, in all honesty, quite endearing. But sometimes, his worry blinded him to reason.
“She may be forgetful, but she knows her way around these hills. Panicking won’t help.”
“Even so,” he said quietly, “this is the first time she’s been late. Something must have delayed her. What if she ran into trouble?”
“Then it’s likely not something you can solve by panicking in here,” Changsheng pointed out. "You can ask the Adventurers' Guild for assistance if she doesn't come back by morning."
“Morning?!” Baizhu’s voice rose slightly. “You’re suggesting I wait until morning? What if—”
Changsheng interrupted him by flicking her tail against the table. “Yes, morning. If she doesn’t come back by morning, you can ask the Adventurers’ Guild to organize a search. Running out into the dark right now would be reckless—and you know it.”
Baizhu sighed, her words forcing him to pause. He sank down onto a nearby stool.
“Right, I’ll go to the Adventurers’ Guild at first light,” he whispered to himself. “If she’s not back by then…”
The night wore on, the pharmacy growing quieter with every passing hour. Baizhu’s eyes kept darting toward the door as he busied himself writing some prescription all night, his heart leaping at every sound from outside. Still, Qiqi didn't return, and the door stayed closed.
As the sun began to rise over Liyue Harbor, Baizhu stepped out of Bubu Pharmacy with determination, Changsheng coiled securely around his shoulders, still half asleep. The worry had been gnawing at him like a relentless storm, keeping him awake the entire night.
He made his way to the Adventurers’ Guild, barely acknowledging the familiar streets he passed. Baizhu had posted commissions with the guild many times before—search requests, supply deliveries, and even investigations—but Changsheng knew this time was different.
This time, it is about Qiqi.
After explaining the situation to Katheryne, he posted an urgent commission: a search party for a young girl gathering herbs near Wuwang Hill. His tone was calm as always, but Changsheng felt the tension coiled tightly in his chest.
"Will this make it easier for you to get some rest?" Changsheng inquired.
"No..." Baizhu said after a long pause. “Not completely. They always do their best, but…” His lips formed a thin line as he trailed off.
Changsheng knew what he meant. There had been times before when guild commissions hadn’t yielded the results he’d hoped for. But there is nothing they can do about it. They just can trust them for now.
Baizhu went back to Bubu Pharmacy, and the day started like any other. A constant flow of patients arrived with questions to answer, prescriptions to fill, and consultations to perform. The strange ailment that had started to spread throughout Liyue made the already busy time for the pharmacy even busier.
Baizhu’s hands moved efficiently as he measured, mixed, and dispensed medicine. But Changsheng could see the cracks in his focus. He stared at the clock for a bit too long. His hands shook for a moment before he steadied them again. She could sense his thoughts returning to Qiqi during the quiet times between patients.
“Thinking about her won’t bring her back any faster,” Changsheng whispered.
“I know,” Baizhu replied. He glanced toward the door, as if expecting Qiqi to walk in at any moment. “But I can’t help it. If something’s happened to her…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. Changsheng didn’t push him to.
This wasn’t just about Qiqi being late. Baizhu had sent her to gather herbs in Wuwang Hill near the Qingce mountain range. Baizhu had begun to suspect that the source of the strange ailment spreading through Liyue might lie in that very area. Right now that is the worst place you can get lost in.
Baizhu's concern increased as the day dragged on into the evening. There had been no words from the Adventurers' Guild by nightfall. No leads, no updates, no sightings. Nothing.
Baizhu was sitting behind the pharmacy counter, staring into the empty air in front of him with his fingers tucked under his chin. Changsheng curled herself closer around his neck. “You’ve done everything you can for now. Take a rest, Baizhu. You’ll be no use to Qiqi if you collapse from exhaustion.”
Baizhu sighed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his thoughts. “I’ll try.”
When he finally retired to his room, he lay down on the bed, but his body remained tense, his eyes open and fixed on the ceiling. Changsheng didn’t expect him to fall asleep—not with the storm raging in his mind.
As night deepened and the room fell quiet, Changsheng let out a soft sigh. Baizhu's restless tossing and turning, paired with the weight of his endless worries, had finally taken its toll on her as well. Coiled near his head, she blinked once, her red eyes heavy with exhaustion.
“Baizhu, you’ll drive yourself into an early grave at this rate,” she murmured, but there was no response. He was still staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts of Qiqi.
For the first time in hours, Changsheng finally ignoring Baizhu and his stubbornness, she let herself to release the tension in her body. Her eyelids drooped, and soon, she succumbed to sleep.
The next morning, when Changsheng opened her eyes, she was already coiled on Baizhu’s shoulder. His body was tense beneath her, his head slightly lowered as he scanned a note in his hands.
“What is it?” she asked while yawning.
“A clue. One of the adventurers found something.”
It was just the sliver of hope they had been waiting for. The adventurer had discovered signs of Qiqi’s presence near Wuwang Hill. But the letter ended on a grim note—none of them had dared venture deeper into the eerie, shrouded area. The adventurers had turned back before finding anything more because of Wuwang Hill's ominous reputation.
Baizhu tightened his hold on the note. "I can't wait anymore," he said. "I'll find her myself if they're too scared."
Changsheng sighed without objecting. She knew arguing would be pointless. Still, she needed to offer a better option than having him charge into Wuwang Hill alone. “Baizhu, you’re no adventurer. You know your limits. But you do have a better chance if you ask for help from someone capable of handling that place.”
Baizhu lost in thought for a while before snapped, “Traveler!” he exclaimed.
Traveler had been staying in Liyue recently, a hero who helped Liyue out of a crisis in the past. If anyone could search for Qiqi in a place as perilous as Wuwang Hill, Traveler is a perfect person. Without wasting another moment, Baizhu stood, straightened his robes, and headed out into Liyue Harbor.
The morning air was crisp and lively with the sound of merchants setting up their stalls. Yet Baizhu’s focus remained sharp as he walked through the streets, his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of Traveler. Changsheng watched from her perch, her crimson eyes flicking back and forth.
Near Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Baizhu finally spotted them. By chance they were also looking for him.
Baizhu wasted no time, quickly explaining Qiqi's disappearance and the clue found on Wuwang Hill. Traveler, without a word of hesitation, agreed to help.
As the Traveler departed to search for Qiqi, Baizhu stood still, his hands tightly clasped behind his back.
“You’ve done what you can for now,” Changsheng said softly. "Let them take care of this. Have faith in their skills."
Baizhu let out a slow, deliberate breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "I do," he answered. "I simply... I keep thinking about her all the time. What if—"
"Stop wasting time on 'what if'!" Changsheng hissed. "You have trusted someone who is capable. Now, concentrate on your work until they come back."
With a grudging nod, Baizhu turned to return to Bubu Pharmacy. Even so, Changsheng knew that he wouldn't be able to fully relax until Qiqi was back in his safe care.
Bubu Pharmacy was once again enveloped in the silence of the night after all busy day. The lanterns were dimmed, the door was locked, and Baizhu was sitting at his desk close to the door, working on prescriptions with his pen scratching against papers.
Changsheng was half asleep on the table, but occasionally she looked over to see how Baizhu was doing. Knowing that his concern did not require additional commentary, she had said very little during the day. Even now, his slight movements showed he was anxious, and he listened closely to every little sound outside the pharmacy.
A few moment later,
There was a sudden creak that broke the silence. Just as the pharmacy door swung open, a soft breeze broke the stillness.
Baizhu immediately stood up.
The adeptus they had previously met, Xiao, entered the room. Qiqi was safely nestled in his arms as his golden eyes gazed at them.
“Qiqi!” Baizhu rushed toward them.
The little zombie girl was asleep, her face pale and her tiny body still in Xiao’s grasp. Her herb pouch hung loosely from her side, tattered from her ordeal.
“She took too much fetor,” Xiao explained calmly. “But given her condition, she’ll recover after some rest.”
Baizhu’s brows furrowed as he reached out to take Qiqi into his arms, “Fetor?”
“She lost her way on the borderlands between life and death,” Xiao continued. “Lan Yan and Hu Tao were with her but couldn’t bring her back on their own. I was assisting Traveler to bring them back.”
Baizhu’s expression darkened at the mention of Hu Tao, but he quickly put his annoyance aside, and concentrated on Qiqi. “I see… Thank you, Master Adeptus, for bringing my little Qiqi back safely.”
Xiao inclined his head slightly. “It wasn’t me you should thank. Traveler who took the risk. I only helped him find the way from outside.”
Before Baizhu could respond, Xiao vanished into the air, his presence dissipating like smoke.
Baizhu stood there, cradling Qiqi in his arms. Her body was small and light, but the relief in his chest made it feel as though a massive weight had been lifted from him.
“Fetor…” he muttered. “How reckless she can be… Even though she’s a zombie, exposure to that is still dangerous.”
Changsheng slithered closer toward them, “She’s home now, Baizhu. That’s what matters.”
Baizhu nodded, his gaze fixed on Qiqi’s peaceful face. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Qiqi,” he murmured.
Baizhu took no time to carried Qiqi to the back room, where her small bed waited. Carefully, he laid her down, adjusting her pillow and blanket to make her as comfortable as possible. Then, he knelt beside her, his hands hovering briefly over her forehead before he began his examination.
Aside from the faint traces of fetor in her body, she appeared unharmed. It seemed Xiao’s words were true—rest was all she needed.
Baizhu let out a long breath, one that seemed to carry days of worry with it. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering for a moment.
Changsheng watched from Baizhu’s shoulder as he settled into the chair beside Qiqi’s bed. She could see the weariness etched into his face, the way his shoulders slumped now that the tension had finally begun to fade.
As he held Qiqi’s small hand in his, Baizhu rested his head against the side of the bed. His eyes remained open for a few moments longer, watching over her with a gaze filled with relief.
Eventually, the weight of exhaustion overtook him. Changsheng watched as his eyes closed slowly, his hand still clasped gently around Qiqi’s. And as the soft glow of the lanterns flickered against the walls, Changsheng coiled herself beside them, settling in to join their peaceful sleep.
EXTRA
Gui arrived for work at Bubu Pharmacy early in the morning, as usual. Baizhu, his master, had been worried recently since Qiqi had not come back from her herb-gathering expedition for two days. Gui therefore tried his best to assist him at work. Like today, he got there early, hoping to hear any news about Qiqi.
He was surprised to find the pharmacy eerily silent, though.
Baizhu would typically be awake by now, busy getting the pharmacy ready for the day. But he was nowhere to be seen now.
Gui walked around, checking each room and calling Baizhu’s name.
No answer.
Weird.
Maybe Baizhu had gone out? Was he at the Adventurers' Guild again?
Just as he was about to step outside to check, he noticed something—the door to Qiqi’s room on the second floor was open.
Gui hesitated for a moment before heading upstairs to investigate.
As he peeked inside, he found Baizhu slumped over Qiqi’s bed, his body resting against the mattress. Changsheng was curled up on herself, completely still. And there, lying peacefully on the bed, was Qiqi.
They were all asleep.
Ah… so Qiqi was finally home.
Gui let out a small breath of relief. He took a step forward, intending to wake Baizhu, but paused when he saw the exhaustion on his master’s face. Baizhu’s hand was still gently holding Qiqi’s, as if he had refused to let go even in sleep.
Gui smiled softly.
Instead of waking him up, he quietly took a blanket and put it over Baizhu’s back. He stood there for a moment, watching over them—his master, Qiqi, and Changsheng—peacefully resting after days of worry.
With a final glance, he turned and quietly left the room, heading downstairs to prepare the pharmacy for the day.